You can recognize clay because it is very shiny when it is wet. You can also perform a test. Take some of the material and add enough water to it to make it seem like you are making bread. Then press it in your hand until it is about the size of an egg. It is probably clay if it holds together instead of falling apart when you stop pressing.

As an non-white tourist in France and Europe, I experienced racism there both blatant and subtle. I imagine that growing up there as a minority citizen must be much worse, and all the more frustrating as a 2nd generation citizen. These children of immigrants speak fluent French and France is the only country they've known, yet they are still marginalized and concentrated into ghettos. This American hopes for a happy outcome for all French.